Gluten Free Spaghetti with Simple Meat Sauce

Happy New Year! I posted the things we have coming up in 2013 {like buying our 1st house, turning food into a baby, etc.} but I failed to mention that I’ll be posting 2 recipes per week from now on instead of the usual 3. I’ll still be posting on my family and travel pages, so there will be around 3 posts per week, they just won’t all be recipes. Moving + mothering + working + renovating + a new baby + a fun {secret} project on the side = one tired momma. Something had to give, and this is what I chose. Anyways, that’s all.

AND, today we officially closed on our house, so we’ll be moving in this weekend. YESSSSSSS. Oh, did I mention I hate packing? Well, I do. The only thing that is keeping me sane is the thought that we’re moving into a place that is all ours! {ie–we won’t have to move again for at least 7 years. Fist bumps all around!} So, that’s the exciting news today.

In other news, I’m taking the whole month of January to post recipes that are Gluten Free!

Don’t freak out.

All the recipes will be naturally gluten free or easily adaptable to be gluten free keeping all you wonderful {gluten and non-gluten} eaters happy! I promise everything will be delicious, 3 year old approved and perfectly NORMAL. Cross my heart.

Today I’m posting one of my go-to meals. This Simple Meat Sauce is on our bi-weekly rotation because we love spaghetti…and this sauce is so darn easy to throw together. I added in carrots to this version, but feel free to omit them OR if you’re feeling healthy, add in a few extra veggies you have on hand {like zucchini, mushrooms or yellow squash}. I find an unhealthy amount of satisfaction in sneaking vegetables into dinners I know my daughter will eat without hesitation. Mwahahahaha. Virtual high fives to all you Mom’s who do the same thing.

Pasta is always made with wheat but the gluten free versions I’ve tried taste almost exactly the same. It’s actually amazing! If you’re experimenting or trying out the gluten free thing, pasta is a good place to start. Just make sure you don’t overcook it. Or undercook it. There’s a “when to drain your pasta” sweet spot and you don’t want to miss that window. #lemmetellyou#itaintpretty

Give this a whirl tonight for dinnah! It’s always a huge hit here. Here’s how you make it:

This recipe starts out with a pound of ground beef…pretty typical of spaghetti sauce. This is 90/10, I think.

Anyways, throw that meat into a hot pan and get it brown.

Once it’s all brown. I like to throw it into a colander and run really hot water over it to get rid of all the extra fat. I saw this on Dr.Phil once and have been doing it since.

Once your meat is done cooking, wipe out the pan to get rid of any more grease {or not….} and place it back on the heat.

Pour in a little olive oil and saute onions, garlic and carrot until tender. 5 minutes or so.

Place the meat back into the pan….

and pour in 3 cans of tomatoes–a variety of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce is what I use, depending on what I have in the pantry. This time it was 2 cans of diced, 1 can of sauce. I also threw in a can of tomato paste too. It makes the sauce all thick and yummy. I like thick sauce. Oh, and I also rinsed every can out with a splash of water.

Measure out and pour in some spices and sugar. I used brown sugar because I ran out of granulated. Use what you have. I always add a little sugar to my tomato sauces to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. The carrot helps add sweetness, but a touch of sugar always does the trick.

Stir the sauce all up, cover and simmer for as long as you’d like. MINIMUM this should cook is an hour. The longer the better! Low and slow all day is ideal. I think my sauce cooked 4 hours total. If you notice your sauce is getting too thick, don’t be afraid to throw in a splash of water here and there.

Once you’re ready to eat, grab some pasta {gluten free or not} and cook it up. I found this fresh gluten free version at whole foods which caught my eye.

This gf version tasted amazing and only took 3 minutes to cook! Love fresh pasta. Drain once it’s done and top with your sauce.

Hello gorgeous!! Sprinkle parmesan as you see fit! Love cheese on my spaghetti.

All of a sudden I want spaghetti for breakfast. Funny how that works.

Whether you’re in a gluten free household or not, this is sure to be a huge hit! Enjoy, friends!

Directions:

In a large skillet with high sides, brown ground beef, breaking apart as you go. Drain and run hot water over meat {optional}. Wipe out hot skillet and place back on heat. Sauté onions, garlic and carrot in olive oil until tender, 5-7 minutes. Place meat back into pan with cans of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water and spices. Stir, reduce temperature to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally for 1-4 hours. If sauce seems to be getting too thick, add in more water.

Once ready to serve, bring large pot of water to boil. Salt water and cook pasta according to package direction. Drain, toss with sauce and serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

I love that you are posting some gluten-free recipes this month. I just finally got my gluten-free recipe blog up and going!
I LOVE Manini’s products. I recommend their flour mix & peasant bread mix to everyone. Their fresh pasta isn’t available in my town yet so you are so lucky that you get to have it!

I do the same thing with my can of tomatoes-add a bit if water to get all of that tomatoe goodness out of the can! I like using half ground beef and half Italian sausage in my sauce. I just made spaghetti last week. Time for another batch. Why does the sauce taste so good the next day? And I know this is not healthy but I sautéed the opinions in a bit of butter; the taste is awesome.

This looks yummy Lauren!! Going to try it this weekend!! And … I LOVE how you explain why you are using certain ingredients i.e., the carrots and sugar!! I learn so much from you and love knowing why I’m using different ingredients !!

I so enjoy your recipes and comments. I wish It were possible to print them out. Somedays it is too much writing for me to do. I’m an old cook but I still love to make good nourishing dishes. Some of your recipes I would love to save. Keep up the good work.